Chapter 212 The Locust Plague Has Arrived

Chapter 212 The Locust Plague Has Arrived

Including what my sister-in-law brought, there's quite a bit of fabric.

The total value is probably close to three taels of silver.

Just yesterday, our family bought five taels of grain from the Song family at a low price, and today my sister-in-law brings back gifts worth three taels of silver.

This is truly—

"Ah, Sister-in-Law, just take it!"

"This is from me, Auntie, for Xiaohu, not for you."

"And there's also something for Second Sister-in-Law." With that, Qin Xiaoyao pulled over Qin's eldest sister-in-law and slipped a small silver lock into her hand.

Qin's eldest sister-in-law blushed.

"Well, I'll accept it with a thick face," she said, somewhat embarrassed.

When Zhang was still around, she had often made things difficult for her sister-in-law along with Zhang.

And now—

Sigh, fortunately, my sister-in-law doesn't hold it against me and treats me so well.

From now on, I must treat her even better.

"Just keep it; it's for protection!" Qin Xiaoyao said with a smile.

After chatting with Qin's eldest sister-in-law for a while, he went to find the second sister-in-law.

After giving the other silver lock to the second sister-in-law, Qin Xiaoyao left the Qin family.

Back home, Qin Xiaoyao told Song Que about Qin Xiaohu.

"You have no idea how soft that baby's face looks."

"I wanted to pinch it so badly."

Thinking back to when he saw the baby, Qin Xiaoyao was still excited.

That child looks like his father.

He will definitely have thick eyebrows and big eyes, just like his father, and grow up to be tall.

Song Que glanced at his wife.

"With your strength, he couldn't withstand your pinching," he said with a laugh.

Qin Xiaoyao then reined in her smile.

"That's true. I didn't dare touch him, afraid I might wake him up."

"I heard those babies love to cry when they wake up. It would be hard for Eldest Sister-in-Law to soothe him."

Song Que laughed again but didn't respond.

"It's better when he's a bit older. Once he can walk and call me Auntie, I'll bring him home to play."

"Then I can pinch him as much as I want." Thinking of herself playing with a little bundle of joy at home, Qin Xiaoyao's eyes filled with anticipation.

A little bundle calling "Auntie," "Auntie," how adorable.

Seeing this, Song Que shook his head with a smile.

Only someone who hasn't experienced it finds it novel.

Once you actually take care of a child, you'd be lucky not to get annoyed.

How does he know?

Well, he has taken care of Yun and Ye plenty of times.

But if it were their own child, maybe it would be different...

Thinking of this, Song Que's eyes also filled with anticipation.

At noon.

People started arriving at the Song family courtyard to buy water.

As Qin Xiaoyao and Song Que were collecting money and handing out tokens, suddenly—

A series of fine, chaotic sounds rang out, and the clear sky began to darken.

"What's that?!" someone exclaimed in surprise.

"Is it going to rain?!" another person said hopefully.

"Oh, no! It's locusts, the locusts are here!" the voices quickly turned to panic.

As soon as these words fell, an overwhelming swarm of locusts covered the sky.

The people standing in the courtyard were quickly attacked.

In an instant, the tree above Qin Xiaoyao and Song Que was covered with locusts.

Even the sound of locusts eating leaves could be heard clearly.

And she and Song Que were no exception, as a swarm of locusts flew wildly towards them.

The impact left them bruised and sore.

After landing on them, the locusts continued to crawl and even bite.

The people in the courtyard soon screamed in panic, frantically slapping at the locusts on their bodies.

But with so many locusts, how could they possibly get rid of them all?

Some of the thinner individuals nearly stumbled under the onslaught.

For a moment, the courtyard was filled with cries of terror.

Even Qin Xiaoyao, who had experienced the end times, was shocked by this scene.

Without hesitation, Qin Xiaoyao protected Song Que.

She quickly pulled Song Que and ran towards the house.

As they ran, she shouted to the people in the courtyard.

"Leave everything behind and come into my parlor for shelter!"

The people quickly regained their senses and rushed towards the parlor of Song's house, abandoning their buckets and other items.

Seeing this, Qin Xiaoyao felt somewhat relieved.

She swiftly led Song Que into the house and closed the doors and windows tightly.

Countless locusts battered against the doors and windows, making a "pattering" sound.

Noticing that Song Que's face had turned pale, Qin Xiaoyao hurriedly stepped forward.

She gave Song Que a hug.

"It's okay."

"We'll seal the doors and windows with fabric, and the locusts won't be able to get in," she comforted.

Being held by her wife, Song Que regained some composure.

Yes, the locust disaster stirred up memories from his past life.

It reminded him of the painful experiences he had in the grass hut in Xiashui Village.

Back then, he and Ye'er were completely helpless.

The grass hut was drafty, and countless locusts swarmed into it, attacking him and Ye'er.

If they hadn't struggled and killed the locusts on their bodies, they might have ended up like the livestock in the village, becoming food for the locusts.

Even at night, when the locusts stopped flying, he and Ye'er still had to endure the harassment and bites of a few remaining locusts.

They also had to listen to the sound of locusts gnawing on the thatched roof.

Indeed, the starving locusts didn't spare even the dry thatch.

At that time, his greatest concern was that the locusts would devour their grass hut.

If that happened, he and Ye'er would have nowhere to hide.

In the end, the locusts did not completely destroy the grass hut, but they did ravage it extensively.

He didn't know how he managed to survive those days with Ye'er...

So much time had passed since then, it seemed like a lifetime ago.

He thought he had almost forgotten about it.

But now, facing these flying locusts again, he realized that those memories had deeply ingrained themselves in his bones.

Thinking of this, Song Que hugged Qin Xiaoyao tightly.

"Ye'er, what about Ye'er—" he began to say.

Qin Xiaoyao was taken aback.

"Ye'er is fine. When I came in, I saw Mother taking him inside."

"I sent fabric to all the rooms in our house. Mother and Ye'er will be safe," she reassured him quickly.

Only then did Song Que feel relieved.

Seeing that Song Que's mood had improved, Qin Xiaoyao released him.

"You take care of sealing the doors and windows here. I need to check the courtyard to make sure no one is trapped by the locusts and hasn't made it inside," she said to Song Que.

The sky outside was darkened by the swarm of flying locusts, and visibility was far worse than usual.

When she brought her husband back, she had called out for the people in the courtyard to run to her parlor.

But it was unclear how many people heard her and how many could successfully reach her parlor.

She wasn't being overly kind; she just didn't want anyone to die in her courtyard due to the locust disaster, which would cause trouble later.

Song Que instinctively grabbed Qin Xiaoyao's hand.

Though he didn't speak, his eyes clearly conveyed his concern.

I don’t want Qin Xiaoyao to go out.