A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

Then the men picked up something and threw it into the fire, and Gu Xixi finally saw that it was a large sack.

There was clearly something alive struggling inside the sack, and it was squeaking and screaming when it came into contact with the fire.

Gu Xixi felt a chill run down her spine. "Is this room full of rats?"

The old man poked at the fire with a long stick, not even glancing at Xixi, looking listless.

"Yes, several villages to the west have already been infested with rats. There have been noticeably more rats in our village these past few days. If we don't deal with it quickly, we'll end up like the other villages."

"Ugh, that damned beast is fast. I can only put it in a sack before burning it. Ugh, how many sacks will this ruin..."

As the old man spoke, his voice grew softer and softer until it became a murmur to himself.

Mu Nanzhao and Gu Xixi exchanged a glance and continued driving.

Gu Xixi said gravely, "If the rat infestation is not contained, it will soon spread to Huachidu Village."

"We need to prepare for this as soon as possible."

Although rat infestations do not spread as quickly as locusts, their destructive power is far more comprehensive.

Hungry rats will not only turn the fields upside down and gnaw the crops to pieces, but they will also break into people's homes and damage furniture, granaries, and even livestock.

In ancient times, especially in rural areas where medical and sanitation conditions were poor, the spread of rodents would likely lead to outbreaks of plague.

Mu Nanzhao's expression was also not very good.

Having once served in the imperial court, he was well aware of the even more terrifying consequences.

If a rat infestation causes a large-scale epidemic, resulting in the deaths of more and more people, then the responsibility falls on the local government.

If the spread cannot be contained, the county government may resort to the most extreme measures in order to give an explanation to its superiors.

For example... setting fire to the village.

It wasn't just the village and the rats that were burned; it burned all the people and all living things in the village.

Mu Nanzhao said, "Go back and tell Elder Jiang about this first, so we can make preparations as soon as possible."

"In addition to rodenticide, we also need to prepare more medicine to control plague."

Gu Xixi nodded, "I wonder if Lao Qian has already heard the news."

In Huachidu Village, Lao Qian was already at Gu Xixi's house.

The old doctor took his pulse and said with a smile, "You've been feeling it yourself lately, haven't you?"

Old Qian was usually most concerned about his illness, but today he seemed a little absent-minded, glancing towards the door several times.

"Yes, it's much better."

"I get up less often at night, my back doesn't ache or I'm sleepier when I work, and even my wife..."

He suddenly realized he had let slip that he almost said something indecent, so he quickly changed the subject.

"When will my niece be back?"

Aunt Zhang, who was picking vegetables under the eaves, said, "It's almost time, it should be ready soon."

Old Qian waited until the old doctor gave him the newly prescribed medicine, but he still sat there and wouldn't leave.

Aunt Zhang found it a bit strange, but didn't dare to ask, so she just chatted with her casually.

Finally, upon hearing the sound of wheels rolling and donkey hooves pounding the ground outside the door, Old Qian immediately jumped up from his small stool.

"My niece is back, I'll go help unload the truck!"

Aunt Zhang watched as Old Qian dashed out and asked the old doctor in confusion, "What's wrong with him today?"

The old doctor smiled and shook his head, "It is indeed different from usual."

Outside the door, Old Qian hurriedly called Gu Xixi and Mu Nanzhao aside.

He looked around to make sure no one else was listening before whispering, "There might be a rat infestation in Stone Village!"

“I went out to inquire, and found out that several villages in the west have already been destroyed, and now it’s Stone Village’s turn.”

"We're probably next!"

Gu Xixi and Mu Nanzhao exchanged a glance.

Gu Xixi said, "We already know."

"On my way back, I saw the people in Stone Village burning rats, so I stopped and asked them a few questions."

Old Qian looked distressed and said, "I still don't know exactly what to do."

"So I haven't dared to tell anyone else about this except the two of you."

"Naturally, we should prepare early and solve the problem at its source," Gu Xixi said. "We should exterminate the rats."

Old Qian looked troubled. "My dear niece, it's easy to say, everyone knows to kill these harmful beasts, but the problem is we can't kill them all."

“I heard that in the villages to the west, in the end, the whole village did nothing but catch rats all day long, but it was still like throwing a spoonful of salt into the river, it was useless.”

He sighed heavily. "Although we haven't heard of any deaths yet, at this rate, it's probably not far off that people will contract the plague."

Gu Xixi said seriously, "When I talk about exterminating rats, I don't mean just catching and killing them one by one by manpower."

"This is indeed too inefficient."

Old Qian exclaimed excitedly, "Your niece must have come up with a solution, right?"

Gu Xixi said, "We informed every household in the village in advance to seal the granaries and cellars and make preparations in advance."

"Then, in courtyards, on roads, and in fields, we spray pesticides to kill the animals and make honey bait to lure and kill them, combining the two methods together."

Old Qian pondered for a moment and said, "Highly poisonous medicinal materials are restricted by the government, and are scarce and expensive. This plan is good, but it is simply impossible to implement."

Mu Nanzhao looked at Gu Xixi and said, "Just tell me what you need."

Gu Xixi smiled helplessly, "I'm about to get to the important part, why are you rushing me?"

Old Qian, puzzled, looked at Mu Nanzhao and Gu Xixi with a puzzled expression.

Gu Xixi said to Lao Qian, "I need three things: a lot of oleander, branches and leaves included; as much honey as possible; and the residue left over from pressing soybean oil."

"Okay!" Old Qian agreed without hesitation.

“There are plenty of oleander trees in the mountains; you can cut down as many as you want. As for honey… I know several families who have a lot in stock.”

"As for the remaining oil residue, I do know two oil mills. I'll go and figure something out tomorrow."

Gu Xixi, recalling that oleander helps stabilize the soil and retain moisture, added at the end:

"Only cut the branches of the oleander tree; do not damage the trunk or uproot it."

"Please, Uncle Qian, be sure to give everyone this important message."

Old Qian was stunned for a moment.

Seeing Gu Xixi's serious expression, even though he didn't understand the reason, he solemnly agreed.

"Okay, I will make sure to explain it to each of them clearly, and make sure they remember it."

Gu Xixi nodded. "Please."

Oleanders are extremely adaptable; cutting off their branches and leaves when the weather turns cold will actually help them grow wildly the following spring.

The next morning, Gu Xixi got up and went to the experimental site on the west side of the back mountain.

After transplanting several tea trees, I covered them with newly purchased tarpaulin and weighed down the corners with stones to prevent them from being blown away.

She was busy with something when Chen Dafu rushed over.

"Boss! We've finally found you!"

He went to the house but found it empty. Aunt Zhang said the landlord was here, so he quickly ran over.

Seeing his anxious expression, Gu Xixi asked, "What happened?"

Chen Dafu took a breath and said, "When I went to work this morning, I found that there were a lot of rat holes in the field!"

Gu Xixi was surprised. Did it spread so quickly?

On second thought, it seemed unlikely, as field mice are a common occurrence in fields.

"Please describe the specific situation in detail."