Allure of a Country Maiden-Chapter 814 - 812_1

After their game of tossing sandbags, the two strolled around. As evening fell, Xiao’er felt hungry. She wanted to try authentic Dai cuisine, so Shangguan Xuanyi took her to the biggest restaurant in the city. At mealtime, the restaurant was crowded, and all the private rooms were full. The two had to settle for a table in the main hall.

Xiao’er ordered five-spice grilled Dai carp, bamboo glutinous rice, sour cabbage and chicken cooked with sour bamboo shoots. A meal of three dishes and one side was ample for both of them.

The food was served pretty quickly. The five-spice grilled Dai carp, its skin crisped to a golden hue and the meat tender and full of flavor, was spicy and delicious. Xiao’er thought this dish would be a good addition to the Four Seasons Restaurant.

The bamboo glutinous rice was actually sticky rice cooked in a bamboo tube. The filler here was precious fungi, sans meat and vegetables. However, the clear aroma of the bamboo and the rice, mixed with the sweetness of the mountain delicacy, bred a unique flavor. It was eaten with a dipping sauce made from braised eel with herbs. The taste was so good that it kept one coming back for more. Xiao’er ate two tubes of rice straight away.

The sour cabbage and the chicken cooked with sour bamboo shoots were both very appetite-stimulating dishes.

Seeing Xiao’er enjoying her food, Shangguan Xuanyi kept serving her more.

Dai cuisine, known for its sour and spicy flavor and light, appetizing taste, was addictive and perfect for the summer.

The main hall was noisy, but it didn’t affect their appetite.

As they were about to finish, a man looking travel-weary sat down at the table next to them.

This man seemed familiar with the restaurant owner, who personally served him tea. Their conversation floated into Xiao’er’s ears.

"Brother Lin, weren’t you heading north to join your brother-in-law? Why have you come back so soon?"

"Ah, don’t get me started. I had barely arrived in Guihe County when I was frightened away by those locusts! They were everywhere, it was almost impossible to walk without bumping into them! They’ve ravaged the crops to such an extent that nothing much is left! Also, I’ve heard about severe drought in the north, and many people are moving south. What’s the point of me going there!"

"That’s serious! I hope those locusts won’t come here." The restaurant owner decided that he needed to stock up on grains and oil - better to be safe than sorry.

"I don’t know about that! But I’ve heard in Guihe County that the locusts came from the neighboring county. I saw that they had almost finished eating all the crops in Guihe County! After they run out of crops there, they might well move south. I must go now, serve me a few dishes quickly, I’m starving!"

"Alright!" the owner replied, nodding his head. He too needed to rush to buy grains.

Drought and locust plague combined - it’s no joking matter! The northern region was a major grain-producing area of the empire, so it was inevitable that food prices would go up!

Having heard this, Xiao’er and Shangguan Xuanyi exchanged a glance, quickly finished their remaining food, and left the inn.

"Brother Shangguan, generally, drought is a precursor to a locust plague. A swarm of locusts covering the sky and earth typically signals a serious plague. If that man was telling the truth, Guihe County is not far from here. Our region might get affected by the locust plague too."

"Yes, it’s not far, only Xiangtang County separates them." Shangguan Xuanyi frowned, wondering why the Imperial Court had not learned of such a severe disaster sooner.

They had barely returned to the inn when Shangguan Xuanyi received a Pigeon Post.

There was a severe drought in the north, the local officials had concealed the severity of the disaster, causing a locust plague. The plague was growing more and more severe, and crops in several counties had already been devastated!

This was a very serious locust plague! freēnovelkiss.com

"I remember reading about locust plagues in your spatial study. Ducks are the natural enemies of locusts. Xiao’er, we need to raise more ducks in the space and rush to Xiangtang County as quickly as possible." Shangguan Xuanyi crumpled up the letter; he must find a way to exterminate the locusts in Xiangyang County and prevent them from continuing to spread south, causing more areas to be affected.

Upon hearing these words, Xiao’er nodded. She also remembered that ducks were used to combat locust plagues and then said, "Alright, let’s also inform the local officials of the nearby counties, asking people to raise more ducks just in case."

Shangguan Xuanyi nodded. He took out his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone and began writing quickly. Then, he sent the written letter out via Pigeon Post.

The two of them immediately began their journey to Xiangtang County. It will take them about half a month to reach Xiangyang County if they travelled non-stop, but they can probably make it in seven or eight days if they travel day and night.

Zhao Yong wasn’t there, and the carriage was driven by Yang Liu and Yang Mei during this period. Each drove a carriage, but as they were racing against time, they could only drive one carriage now, taking turns between day and night.

They had their meals on the carriage. When both Yang Liu and Yang Mei went to relieve themselves, Xiao’er would swap out the horse. Luckily, they never ran out of horses in the space that looked identical.

Otherwise, running day and night for seven days and nights would kill or cripple the horse!

Such a journey was indeed very hard, particularly for Yang Liu and the others who needed to concentrate on driving the carriage.

Xiao’er worried that Yang Mei or Yang Liu would be too tired. So, when one of them fell asleep, she would trigger their sleep acupoint and take them into the space, allowing them to have a good, undisturbed sleep.

Although Yang Liu and Yang Mei had experienced such journeys before, they would still feel tired each time they woke up. However, this time around, they were confused as to why they felt even more refreshed and relaxed than on a regular day each time they woke up.

While Yang Liu and Yang Mei were puzzled, they finally arrived at Xiangyang County.

The people of Xiangyang County had already received the government’s notice and knew about the potential locust plague. The crops had just sprouted and could not be harvested, but whether the vegetables in the fields were big or small, they were all harvested, leaving nothing for the locusts.

The people had experienced locust plagues before. Large ones happened every eight to ten years. They had no good solutions to it. They could only watch as the locusts consumed their crops. Once there was nothing left to eat, the locusts would depart.

The swarm of locusts hadn’t arrived yet, but the people here were already panicking. Pedestrians on the streets would occasionally glance up at the sky, afraid that the swarm might descend upon them all of a sudden!

Shangguan Xuanyi went straight to the county magistrate of Xiangtang County and instructed him to inform the people that if a swarm of locusts arrived, they should release their ducks into the fields.

The county magistrate didn’t think much of Shangguan Xuanyi’s order, but he dared not disregard anything said by Prince Rui!

He could only arrange for soldiers to inform each town’s pavilion chiefs, who would then inform the village chiefs, and then each household would be informed by the village chiefs.

When the villagers heard that the government wanted them to release their ducks to eat the locusts, they thought the county magistrate must have gone mad! A massive swarm of locusts was about to siege the city, and people would have to hide inside their homes to avoid them. Releasing ducks meant risking their lives, right?

The people grumbled privately, calling the county magistrate stupid. The county magistrate heard these rumors and blamed Shangguan Xuanyi for making people think he was the stupid one.

In the end, everyone refused to believe that ducks could eat locusts. Even if they did eat a few, what difference would it make? No one planned on releasing their ducks.

By evening, the far-off sky was dark, as if a storm was about to arrive.