Farming with kids: My deceased husband returns and I spoil him rotten.

Gu Yu looked at Shang Qing in surprise; she had indeed guessed correctly.

Shang Qing smiled helplessly at him: "Hehe, I was just guessing."

The village chief slowly lowered his head. "I am truly sorry, Lord Meng. This matter is my fault. I failed to observe these things properly, which led to this consequence and made your trip in vain."

Meng Fengzhu quickly comforted him, saying, "It's not your fault; this should be considered a natural disaster."

Natural disasters...

The village chief's face darkened, and he immediately thought of the locusts that Shang Qing had mentioned to him last time.

After all, the water shortage directly impacts the food supply, which should not be underestimated.

After Meng Fengzhu finished speaking, he looked at Shang Qing and asked in a slightly heavy tone, "Shang Qing, do you know how to find a water source?"

Shang Qing shook his head: "Lord Meng, I'm sorry, I don't know."

Meng Fengzhu was clearly disappointed, but he didn't say anything more.

Shang Qing stepped forward and changed the subject, saying, "A water shortage will inevitably cause a severe drought. Moreover, the weather is getting warmer, and I'm afraid the crops will suffer from a locust plague. This matter needs to be carefully considered by Lord Meng and cannot be ignored."

Meng Fengzhu understood what she meant. With so many things piling up, they could only deal with them slowly.

"I'll have someone visit some villages nearby later to see what's going on. Village chief, you should also patrol diligently during this time to see if there's anything unusual so we can take precautions."

The village chief nodded obediently: "Don't worry, Lord Meng, I will do my best."

Just as they were about to head back home, the constables suddenly rushed over.

Just by looking at him, Meng Fengzhu knew that nothing good was coming.

"Sir, a riot has broken out in the next village. It's said that it was caused by a few villagers fighting over water. It started as a few people arguing, but somehow it suddenly escalated into a fight, and then more and more people joined in."

Meng Fengzhu frowned: "I didn't bring many people with me today. Let's go take a look first!"

Shang Qing seemed to have thought of something, "We're short-handed right now, how about I go back and call my brother? He knows some kung fu, he'll definitely be able to help."

Meng Fengzhu agreed, and then she and Gu Yu went ahead.

"These days are truly unsettling."

The village chief sighed, and Shang Qing comforted him for a few words before hurrying home.

After Lao Zong left, Pan'er and Nian'er returned as well.

"Mother, Nian'er and I went for a walk on the back mountain just now, and guess what we found?"

Pan'er tried to keep her in suspense, but Nian'er immediately saw through her act.

"Mom, there really are locusts on this mountain! My older sister and I saw several just now, it was terrifying!"

The locusts... everything seemed to be happening faster than they had anticipated.

But now Lao Zong has gone out, and there's no one at home to take care of Xi'er.

Shang Qing thought for a moment, then pulled Pan'er and Nian'er to sit down, earnestly instructing them, "Pan'er, Nian'er, it's up to you two now. Didn't I tell you last time what I bought the ducks for?"

The two sisters said in unison, "Fight the locusts!"

"Oh, right..." Shang Qing said with great satisfaction, "We've been raising these ducks for a while now, and some of them have grown up. I want you two to drive the ducks up the mountain so they can eat the locusts themselves, okay?"

Pan'er patted her chest confidently and said, "Mother, don't worry, leave this matter to Nian'er and me!"

But since it was their first time and neither of them had ever herded ducks before, they had little experience in this area and needed someone to guide them.

So Shang Qing went to Nie's house and explained the situation to her. Unexpectedly, Nie's mother was a straightforward person and immediately agreed: "Okay, you can stay home and take care of the children. I'll go with them."

So Pan'er and Nian'er herded a few ducks and set off for the back mountain.

When they passed by the Gu family's fields, they happened to see Gu Heng and Jiang Yingyue working in the fields.

Jiang Yingyue managed to pay off some of the debt by doing simple carpentry work. A while ago, Nie Niang noticed she was timid and hesitant, but now she seems to have returned to her arrogant self.

Pan'er and Nian'er originally intended to walk away as if they hadn't seen anything, but Jiang Yingyue insisted on causing trouble and called them back.

"What, don't you all greet your elders?"

Gu Heng rolled his eyes at her: "Jiang Yingyue, can't you just mind your own business? Why are you meddling in other people's business?"

Pan'er and Nian'er ignored her and continued herding the ducks.

Seeing the ducks crossing the crops, Jiang Yingyue ran straight to the front and stopped them: "What are you doing? Don't you know that ducks eat crops? This is our land, you're not allowed to touch it!"

Nie Niang was speechless: "Jiang Yingyue, you're an adult, why are you arguing with two children?"

Jiang Yingyue stubbornly replied, "Hmph, I'll just settle things with the two of them. What can you do to me?"

Because of what happened during the last Chinese New Year, Pan'er had long disliked Jiang Yingyue, so she hadn't said a word.

Nian'er patiently explained, "These ducks don't eat crops; they only eat locusts on the crops."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yingyue was immediately amused: "Do you know what you're saying? How could there be locusts at this time of year? You guys are really funny. You listen to your mother so much. She's not a good person."

Nie Niang couldn't stand it anymore and argued with her, saying, "Jiang Yingyue, don't forget who gave you the opportunity and the work you had. How can you forget your roots?"

Jiang Yingyue, however, disagreed, saying, "This has nothing to do with Shang Qing. I passed the review on my own. This only proves that I am capable. What does it have to do with Shang Qing?"

Gu Heng interrupted, shouting at her, "Jiang Yingyue, do you know what you're saying?!"

Jiang Yingyue laughed: "Oh, what's wrong? Didn't you say you were going to cut off all ties with Shang Qing? Why are you protecting her here now? Looks like you really are hiding something from me."

She's really getting carried away right now.

Nie Niang was equally blunt, gesturing for Pan'er and Nian'er to take a detour and go ahead first. She then mocked Jiang Yingyue, saying, "Jiang Yingyue, don't forget, I still remember the scene of you kneeling in front of Shang Qing's house. You were really pitiful back then."

This naturally touched a nerve with Jiang Yingyue, and she immediately charged at Nie Niang like a mad dog, but Gu Heng grabbed her and said, "Can you stop going crazy!"

"Yes, Jiang Yingyue, I'm waiting for you. Good deeds are rewarded and evil deeds are punished. I'm waiting for your retribution!"

After saying this, Nie Niang turned and left, leaving Jiang Yingyue furious: "This woman, what right does she have to talk to me like that? What right does she have? Isn't it just because she has a good relationship with Shang Qing!"