CHAPTER 219: CHAPTER 196: FINALLY, IT RAINED (2)

While they were talking, someone hurriedly pushed the door open, and even though they quickly closed it, a large swarm of locusts still managed to slip inside.

"Mom!" Xiao Xue jumped down immediately, and Xiao Mi also quickly got up to get dressed.

Indeed, it was their mother: "Ah, Xiao Xue, Xiao Mi, don’t be afraid. Mom came to bring you some food. You shouldn’t go outside today."

As she spoke, their mother efficiently stomped on dozens of locusts, only a few managed to escape.

Their mother’s face was still covered with cloth, obviously to prevent the locusts from hitting her face.

"Mom, where’s Dad?" Xiao Mi asked curiously.

Knowing her dad, if he were here, he wouldn’t have let their mom bring them food at this time, right?

Mother took out the food and placed it on the table: "Your dad, your big brother, and little Ze have gone to catch locusts with curtains and nets. The fewer the better."

The locusts were overwhelming, flying out from both sides of the riverbed in droves. When they gathered together, they formed a massive dark cloud, which was quite frightening.

It wasn’t just Jiang Hu’s family, many in the village had also organized themselves to catch as many locusts as possible.

Xiao Mi couldn’t go outside, but just by listening to her mother’s description, she knew what the outside looked like.

"Mom, where’s Tiedan?" Xiao Xue handed a corn bun to Xiao Mi.

"Tiedan is in Grandpa Liu’s room. You two eat first, I have to go help out later. If you get hungry at noon, eat by yourselves."

Their mother brought a lot of buns, a plate of pickles, and a pot of water.

After instructing her daughters, their mother hurried out again. When she opened the door, Xiao Mi peered outside, shivering at the sight.

Swarming locusts, densely packed together, looked just like black clouds.

"Xiao Xue, any locusts in the house, you two can stomp on yourselves. Mom has to get to work."

After their mother left, she quickly jogged to the backyard, not forgetting to remind Xiao Xue and her sister.

Xiao Mi felt anxious inside, wondering when it would rain. If it rained, surely the locusts wouldn’t be so rampant.

"Xiao Mi, let’s eat first. After eating, go back to sleep. If you’re asleep, you won’t be scared."

Xiao Xue handed her sister a bun, pulling her back to the table.

Their mother had poured each of them a bowl of water, along with a big basket of buns, enough for both lunch and dinner.

Xiao Mi took a fierce bite: "I’m not sleeping. Second sister, we’ll go catch locusts later!"

Damn it, killing one is one less. We can’t just wait inside, right?

Although catching locusts seemed insignificant, catching one meant one less to breed.

Xiao Xue was a bit puzzled: "How are we going to catch them?"

Xiao Mi, chewing a bun, didn’t answer. She was deep in thought, her eyes scanning the room.

Suddenly, she saw her sister’s embroidery basket on the table, and an idea flashed in her mind: "Got it!"

The two quickly finished their buns, drank some water, and Xiao Mi pulled her second sister to the bedside. Taking scissors, she snipped a large piece of the bed cover.

Following Xiao Mi’s instructions, Xiao Xue quickly crafted a fishing net-like bag, with a bamboo hoop from Xiao Xue’s sewing pad to encircle the top.

Xiao Mi then tossed a piece of the bun inside the net, opened the door a crack, and stuck the net outside.

Instantly, a swarm of locusts dove headfirst into the net, the weight almost pulling at Xiao Mi’s wrist.

The large net seemed almost full in a moment, and Xiao Mi quickly drew it inside, stomping it hard onto the ground!

The sisters stomped on the trapped locusts until they turned to mush and then dumped them into a chamber pot, ready for the next round using the same method.

This time, they didn’t even need buns as bait; the locust carcasses served well enough.

By noon, the sisters had crushed countless locusts, nearly filling the chamber pot with locust mush.

Their mother and the others indeed hadn’t returned, but Grandpa Liu came over, covering his face, to check on the sisters.

Seeing their capturing method, he was very interested and went to find some bamboo strips, asking Xiao Xue to make one for him too. He also helped them by emptying the nearly full chamber pot into the backyard.

The situation outside was unclear, but even though they worked hard, the locusts in the air didn’t seem to decrease.

By evening, Jiang Hu and their mother finally returned, along with Aunt Yang, Qixing, Jiang Yu, and Liu Ze, the two older boys.