At noon, the sun reached its zenith.
The scorching heat baked the earth.
At this hour, those busy in the fields had returned for their midday rest.
Cheng Loan Loan was in the kitchen preparing lunch. She didn't let her daughter-in-law idle either; she was in charge of cooking, while Wu Hui Niang sat on a stool adjusting the fire in the stove.
The weather was too hot, so for lunch, they cooked glutinous rice porridge, served with some wild bamboo shoots and vegetables, and also fried an egg pancake.
The two hens in the house were still very diligent, laying eggs two days out of three. Moreover, Cheng Loan Loan occasionally secretly took a few eggs, so the family had accumulated nearly ten eggs.
Just then, San Niu returned from chopping firewood. He was tired and drenched in sweat, and he gulped down a bowl of iced jelly to cool off.
Cheng Loan Loan brought the food to the table. "I'll go call Da Shan and Si Dan back for lunch."
These past two days, they had been busy with business, and the work in the fields had been neglected. At midday, when everyone else returned to rest, Zhao Da Shan was still busy in the fields.
He wore a straw hat on his head, his feet bare, stepping in the mud, his trouser legs pulled up to his knees. He was bent over, weeding the rice paddy. Suddenly, there was water, and the weeds grew profusely. If not dealt with for a day, they would grow into a large patch, consuming all the fertilizer in the field.
"Da Shan, put on your shoes first, and come back for lunch."
Cheng Loan Loan brought the straw shoes and tossed them onto the edge of the field.
Zhao Da Shan smiled foolishly. "I'll come back after I finish weeding this *mu* of land."
Cheng Loan Loan shook her head. "Wait until the sun isn't so strong later. Hurry back, wash your hands, and eat. I'll go call Si Dan."
She continued along the edge of the field. Their family's paddy field was five *mu*, neither too much nor too little. After walking a dozen steps, she saw Si Dan squatting on the edge of the field, digging for wild vegetables. The basket beside the boy was full of bitter lettuce, and at his feet were weeds he had pulled out of the rice paddy.
Cheng Loan Loan sighed softly. These children were all too sensible, so sensible it pained her heart.
She spoke, "Si Dan, lunch is ready. Let's herd the ducks back together. You go over there, and I'll stay here."
Twenty ducklings swam in the shallow water of the rice paddy, occasionally opening their mouths to peck, and a grasshopper was swallowed.
The ducks, playing comfortably, were suddenly herded back, scattering everywhere.
Zhao Si Dan was herding ducks for the first time, and Cheng Loan Loan also had no experience. The mother and son were flustered.
Aunt Wang from the neighboring field suddenly poked her head out. "Oh, why did this duck fly into my field? Si Dan, quickly catch it back, don't let it ruin my rice!"
Zhao Si Dan ran over to explain, "Auntie, our ducks don't eat rice; they eat insects."
As if to prove it, the duckling flapped its small wings and landed on Aunt Wang's leg, pecking a grasshopper off her trouser leg.
The ancients still called grasshoppers grasshoppers. Upon seeing this, Aunt Wang's face turned pale. "How can there be grasshoppers in my rice field? Where did these grasshoppers come from?"
Cheng Loan Loan's voice deepened slightly. "A few days ago, I found grasshoppers in the village, but not many, so I bought some ducklings to guard the rice fields."
The duckling opened its mouth and swallowed the grasshopper, then quickly caught the next one.
Aunt Wang thought of last year, when grasshoppers filled the sky like dark clouds. In less than half a day, over a thousand *mu* of rice were completely eaten.
The locust plague was truly terrifying.
Even a few scattered ones made her face turn pale.
She focused on weeding, not noticing the locusts in the field. Now that she had seen them, there was no way she could ignore them.
Catching locusts was very difficult, but she had seen firsthand how formidable this duckling was. She immediately said, "Mother Dashan, where did you buy your ducklings, and how much did each one cost? I want to buy some too and raise them in my fields."