The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 112

In July, the sun was scorching.

People were busy in the fields, hoping to gather enough food for their families.

This year, the weather has been unfavorable. There was no water in the fields, and the rice could hardly survive. Fortunately, some crops could adapt to the water-scarce environment, so there were at least some harvests, preventing the people from starving.

Suddenly, the sky in the distance grew cloudy. While everyone was still wondering if it was going to rain, someone panicked and shouted, “Look at that! Why is it moving?”

Everyone looked up, and the “dark cloud” in the distance was coming closer and closer. The shape became clearer, and a trembling voice broke the silence, “Locusts! It’s locusts!”

In that moment, the despair was visible on everyone’s face. They barely had time to react before the overwhelming swarm of locusts descended upon the fields, devouring everything in sight.

People scrambled to beat the locusts away, but these creatures were not easy to kill. 

Dozens of locusts clung to a single seedling, and in no time, the plant was stripped bare.

About fifteen minutes later, the locusts flew away in droves, leaving nothing but a barren land.

“Oh, God! Will we ever have a way to live?” An old man’s face was lined with deep wrinkles, his eyes filled with tears. Years of hardship had left their marks on him, and now, with the hope of the year destroyed, despair weighed heavily on him.

Not just him, but everyone who had lived through the locust plague felt the same—was it that God would deny them a chance at survival?

Unlike the Tian and Li families, who could still survive without relying on the fields, most families depended on their land for sustenance. This locust plague had become the final blow to their already struggling livelihoods.

At the time of the locusts’ arrival, Tian Xiaoman and his family were having dinner. They noticed the sky, once clear, darkening. 

Father Li quickly jumped from his seat and shut the doors and windows. Moments later, they heard the incessant rustling sound.

“What’s going on?” Tian Xiaoman asked, feeling puzzled.

“The locusts are coming!” Father Li’s voice was grave, and Li Amu looked pale.

“Locust plague!” Li Wenxuan exclaimed.

“Yes…” Li Amu suddenly recalled the locust plague from his youth. 

Back then, the sky was black with locusts. The insects devoured every crop in their path, and no one could stop them.

After the locusts left, the people were left in dire straits. Desperate measures such as trading children for food became common, and though the court tried to intervene, the situation remained tragic, with people starving everywhere.

Upon hearing Li Amu’s story, Tian Xiaoman clutched Le Ge’er and Little Tuanzi tightly, his heart aching for those helpless people. 

Le Ge’er and Little Tuanzi, still young, didn’t understand why the door was closed or why the adults looked so serious.

“Momo?” Le Ge’er, feeling uncomfortable, wiggled in his arms.

Tian Xiaoman snapped back to reality, releasing Le Ge’er and offering a reluctant smile.

Li Wenxuan noticed the tension in his expression and reached out, gently holding his hand. “It’s okay, Xiaoman. I’ll protect our home.”

As the sky slowly cleared, Li Wenxuan opened the window to find the locusts had already moved on. 

A bitter smile crossed his face as he looked out at the now-bare trees in their yard, devoid of green.

Little Tuanzi, carried by his Amu, looked around in astonishment, his mouth wide open and his eyes wide with curiosity at the desolation around him.

Now, people were relying on last year’s food, but not everyone had enough stored away.

For those who did have surplus food, they would lend it to those in desperate need, promising to repay it once the next harvest came in. But no one knew what the future would hold.

At first, some people were willing to lend food out of goodwill, but as the situation worsened, even those with food could no longer afford to help. After all, their own families were also struggling.

As one of the more well-off families, the Li family had people coming to them every few days to borrow food. The few pigs they had raised were slaughtered, as there was no food left to feed them.

The meat was distributed among the villagers, as they knew that withholding it could lead to desperate actions from those around them. People could only hang on as long as there was a glimmer of hope. But when that hope vanished, they lost all reason and turned to madness.

In order to avoid attracting too much attention, Li Amu would often go into the wild to dig up roots, like everyone else. 

Meanwhile, Tian Xiaoman kept a tight hold on Le Ge’er, making sure he didn’t run off.

Li Wenxuan and Father Li would always leave someone at home, in case someone saw only ge’er and children inside and broke in. They were not guarding against their own villagers, but against refugees from outside.

Traffic through Anyang County was fairly busy, and the situation in other regions was even worse. People who could no longer survive in their hometowns were fleeing to other places.

A few days ago, a group of refugees arrived in Willow Tree Slope. With their large numbers, they had settled at the entrance to the village without notifying anyone.

Most of the refugees were young or middle-aged, as the elderly and children had already perished on their journey to escape the famine. 

The village still had men, but with everyone already struggling, no one could afford to fight back. The two groups coexisted without major conflict.

Li Yiran had heard about the severe drought in Anyang County from the court. The news filled him with dread, and he was overcome with an indescribable fear.

Although he hadn’t experienced a drought firsthand, he had studied many historical records at the Hanlin Academy. His parents had no idea what was really happening.

He and Li Wenxuan exchanged letters every two months, but the letters always contained good news and never any mention of bad news. 

When they met, he would have to teach him a lesson about being more honest!

Li Wenxuan, on the other hand, felt a bit aggrieved. The earlier drought had barely affected them, but the drought that followed was truly terrifying.