The villagers dispersed after the prayer ceremony, returning to their fields to work.
Some families still had turnips and radishes to harvest, and they had to bring them in quickly before the rat swarms arrived.
Other villagers simply set up tents at the edge of their fields.
They slept there day and night.
They thought this would deter the rats from damaging their crops.
In the afternoon, people from the county yamen arrived.
An officer, carrying a gong, struck it repeatedly with a loud clang.
"In recent months, rat infestations have been rampant, ruining countless crops. Prefect Chen is deeply concerned!"
"We urge every household to take preventative measures in advance. The imperial court attaches great importance to this matter!"
"Everyone should harvest their grain, raise cats, and don't wait until the last minute to act!"
The villagers: "......"
How were they supposed to take preventative measures in advance?
The crops hadn't even fully grown yet. Should they harvest them early to feed the donkeys?
Besides, a single cat or two was useless against a rat infestation.
It was too late to start raising them now.
And so, many villagers came to Old Yun's house again, requesting Sweet Treasure's blessings.
Xiao Xi Tian felt immense pressure.
Not only were the entire village looking at her with eager anticipation,
but even her own family members would clasp their hands together upon seeing her, murmuring, "Sweet Treasure bless us, Sweet Treasure bless us..."
Xiao Xi Tian: "......"
It seemed she really had to do something.
Xiao Xi Tian climbed onto the kang, curled up, and lay down.
She closed her big eyes and wandered into her spatial base.
The warehouse was filled with countless rat poisons and a large amount of soybeans.
Xiao Xi Tian pursed her lips and smiled.
"Sweet Treasure, second sister made your favorite steamed egg!"
Zhao Gui Hua walked into the room, wiping her hands.
Seeing Xiao Xi Tian with her eyes closed tightly and sweating profusely,
her little face pale and devoid of color,
Zhao Gui Hua was startled. "Oh dear, Sweet Treasure, what's wrong?"
Had she attracted some malevolent entity during the villagers' prayer ceremony?
She touched Xiao Xi Tian's forehead; it was not hot.
"Dad, Mom, come quickly and see!" Zhao Gui Hua picked up Xiao Xi Tian and called out towards the door.
A moment later, the entire family gathered around.
"Is little sister sick? Why is her face so pale?" Yun Da Man asked.
"No, your sister was full of life this morning, she couldn't be sick!" Old Yun said with certainty.
Liu Cui Rong sat to the side, rubbing her knees.
She had knelt for most of the night and almost fainted.
Her kneecaps and calves still ached.
She glanced at the pale-faced Xiao Xi Tian and said dismissively, "Look how worried you all are. Little sister isn't going to die!"
Gu Shi heard this and nudged her fiercely. "If you can't speak properly, keep your mouth shut. No one thinks you're mute!"
This vexing daughter-in-law made her feel like she had aged ten years.
Yun Er Man directly kicked her out. "You wasteful woman, if you dare to blabber again, I'll sew your mouth shut!"
Liu Cui Rong grumbled a few curses outside the door.
Before, she thought Sweet Treasure was a little rich girl.
But after she had explored the dog kennel, she abandoned those foolish notions.
The family, and even the entire village, treated her like a living Bodhisattva.
It was purely because they had too much idle time.
Utterly foolish!
"Old man, quickly hitch the cart, we need to take Sweet Treasure to the county to see a doctor!"
Gu Shi's face was filled with anxiety, her voice trembling slightly.
Old Yun walked out without a word.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Xi Tian opened her eyes and woke up.
"Oh my, my little ancestor, you almost scared your mother to death!"
Gu Shi let out a long sigh of relief, held Xiao Xi Tian tightly, and tears streamed down her face.
The entire family also felt relieved, showing a smile of contentment.
Xiao Xi Tian blinked her big eyes and gestured with her small hands, "Soybeans!~"
She had just moved all the soybeans and rat poison from the warehouse.
So much stuff, it had almost exhausted her.
"Soybeans?" Yun Da Man asked curiously, scratching his head. "Didn't we use all the soybeans at home for making fermented bean paste blocks?"
Xiao Xi Tian patted her leg like a little adult and pointed to their storeroom, "Soybeans!~"
Yun Da Man: "......"
He still didn't understand.
Gu Shi's eyes darted, and she carried Xiao Xi Tian to the storeroom.
As soon as she opened the door, she gasped sharply, trying her best to remain calm.
Old Yun took a look and his hand holding the tobacco pipe trembled.
He stammered, "Where... where did these soybeans come from?"
On the ground, ten or more sacks of soybeans were piled haphazardly.
Yun Er Man rubbed his sister's head and smiled, "Do we even need to ask? Sister must have given them to us!"
Old Yun looked at his daughter, more confused than ever. "But... but why would our daughter give us so many soybeans?"
This storeroom was dark and damp; soybeans would sprout and rot easily.
If they couldn't be eaten, wouldn't they all be wasted?
Xiao Xi Tian sighed helplessly and said in a milky voice, "Catch rats, stuff beans!~"
The entire family: "???"
What did she mean?
Feed the rats with soybeans?
Xiao Xi Tian patted her little bottom and said very seriously, "Stuff their butts, sew them up tight!~"
This was her first move against the rat infestation.
First, soak the soybeans overnight, then stuff them into the rats' anuses and sew them up with needle and thread.
The soybeans would enter the rats' intestines, causing them to swell within half a day and sprout within a day.
The intense pain would make the rats agitated and ferocious.
They would charge into the rat swarms and attack their own kind.
Their frenzied fighting power was something even house cats couldn't handle.
This way, even without human intervention, the destructive power of the rat swarms would be greatly reduced.
"Does daughter mean to stuff soybean grains into the rats' anuses and then sew them up?"
Gu Shi asked thoughtfully.
Xiao Xi Tian giggled.
She hugged her mother's face and gave her a big kiss.
Her mother was the smartest!~
Once the entire family understood Xiao Xi Tian's plan, they all sprang into action.
They kept one sack of soybeans at home and distributed the rest to the other villagers.
Old Yun went directly to the village chief's house and explained his idea.
The village chief thought he was being ridiculous.
But upon careful consideration, he found the method feasible.
It was better than sitting idly by and waiting for disaster.
Moreover, this idea came from Little Sweet Treasure.
Thus, the entire village, men, women, and children, went to the fields to catch rats.
Aunt Zhang also led the women to weave dozens of cages to trap the rats.
These field rats were very large.
Some of them were as big as rabbits.
"Grandpa, this rat is so fat! Can we roast it?"
Yun Jin Shan looked at the grey rat in the cage and licked his lips slyly.
Old Yun kicked him. "Eat, eat, eat, all you think about is eating. These things are filthy, their meat is full of worms!"
Actually, he had eaten rats when he was young.
The taste wasn't great.
Back then, every family was struggling to get enough food. No matter how dirty rats were, they were still meat!
They weren't so poor now that Old Yun would allow his grandson to eat rats.
While Dashui Village was busily catching rats, they didn't know that the neighboring Xinwang Village had already suffered disaster.
The crops in the poor fields had been swept clean, leaving nothing behind.
The rat army turned its attention and headed towards Dashui Village again.
They were a dense, black mass, so numerous that they made countless children and young wives cry...