BXBX NOVEL Chapter 138 - 133: Competing Visitors_i
Charging seventy wen money to exterminate pests from an acre of land once, this business was actually quite good.
Moreover, Qin Niu provided top-quality service.
He could eradicate eggs, pupae, adult insects, and larvae all at once.
He dealt with not only locusts but also other pests.
Xu Zhenchang hired adult men to catch insects for him, paying eight wen money per person per day. Hiring twelve men to work for a day didn’t actually clear all the locusts from an acre of land.
It may look like child’s play for Qin Niu to catch bugs and locate their eggs, but that’s because his pest extermination skills, bug catching skills, and insect trace identification skills had all reached a considerably high level.
For others, being proficient in one of these skills would be awesome.
He had three, and one could imagine how formidable he was.
By dusk, he had brought back more than six hundred termites from the mountain, the weakest of which were above grade two.
There were also quite a few grade three termites among them.
He deliberately started exterminating pests from a field that backed onto a mountain.
Releasing all six hundred or so termites, Fourth acted as the marshal, with several grade three tiger-striped iron armor ghost ants serving as generals. They divided into groups and began their efficient operation.
In just over an hour, all the pests in that acre were completely eliminated.
This efficiency was very high indeed.
Qin Niu also harvested quite a few insect eggs.
He was looking forward to the day when the Ant Queen’s breeding skill would level up again, reaching over a thousand eggs laid per day; that would be wonderful.
However, being able to add a hundred termites a day was already quite good, enough to get some work done at least.
Xu Zhenchang was called over for inspection.
Carrying an oil lamp, he went down to the field for a careful examination and saw the ground littered with insect corpses and pupae that had been bitten to death.
Even the eggs had been crushed.
And they didn’t just exterminate locusts, but also leaf rollers, various noctuids, and other pests.
This carpet-style pest extermination was what he had always dreamed of but never achieved.
“Village chief, are you satisfied with the pest extermination effect?” Qin Niu asked as he saw him coming over.
“Extremely satisfied! It’s hundreds to thousands of times better than hiring someone to do the job. The efficiency is both fast and good.”
The worry that had been plaguing Xu Zhenchang for days was considerably alleviated.
The locusts were kept out of the village, nipping the problem in the bud. Now with Qin Niu’s thorough pest extermination, it also meant that his crops had a chance of being saved.
After that, Qin Niu stayed busy all night long.
In total, he exterminated pests from eight acres of land.
Each acre underwent carpet-style extermination, from flying adults to eggs, sweeping them all clean.
The six hundred or more termites became braver as the battle went on, seemingly tireless.
The endurance of insects was much stronger than that of humans.
Termites, being omnivorous creatures, also took the opportunity to replenish their energy during the extermination process; thus, they didn’t feel any fatigue at all.
This was only the first day. Qin Niu was somewhat worried. Moreover, many of the termites were working across fields for the first time, so he watched over them.
Tomorrow, they could carry out the work on their own.
Qin Niu just needed to show Fourth the fields once, and it could then lead the termite army to exterminate pests.
For eight acres of land, at seventy wen per acre, that was a total of five hundred and sixty wen money.
Nearly six pieces of silver money in income.
This was equivalent to a common farmer’s salary for two months.
Earning money through expertise was much easier than through hard labor.
For six consecutive days, Qin Niu helped Xu Zhenchang exterminate pests in the fields.
Over the course of six days, the number of his special termites increased from over seven hundred to more than thirteen hundred.
The number of grade three termites grew to thirty-four.
This explosive growth in strength made the entire termite army even more formidable.
Their pest extermination efficiency also greatly increased.
Initially, more than six hundred termites took over an hour to eliminate all the pests from an acre of land. Now, he could deploy over a thousand grade two and grade three termites to clear an acre in less than half an hour.
As they continued to engage in actual combat, their teamwork became more tacit, their experience richer, and their efficiency continually improved.
Each time he brought the termites down the mountain to exterminate pests, he would leave at least seventy or eighty special termites behind to maintain the operation and security of the entire Ant Nest.
He couldn’t afford to be preoccupied with sideline gains while other insects took advantage of the situation and destroyed his Ant Nest.
In the area around that large camphor tree, seventy or eighty special termites were fully capable of securing the Ant Nest. If enemies like centipedes or scorpions dared to invade, they would be reduced to food within minutes.
Especially those ferocious tiger-striped soldier ants, which were like bloodthirsty demons in existence.
Termites were defensive insects, but that didn’t mean they were docile or easy to bully.
They belonged to that typical type who didn’t start trouble but weren’t afraid of it either.
Occasionally, army ants discovered their nests and launched attacks. Still, the ferocious army ants usually came off worse in confrontations. Sometimes, even the Army Ant Queen might be counter-killed by the termites.
That morning, as Qin Niu was having breakfast, Xu Zhenchang came to seek an audience outside.
“Master Qin, this is your payment for helping with the pest extermination. A total of eighty-six acres were handled, amounting to 6020 wen money, which translates to six silver money and an additional twenty wen. I’m truly grateful. You have saved the livelihood of my entire family,” Xu Zhenchang said, his forehead creased much deeper than before.
This is all due to urgency.
“Twenty Wen Money will do, this year hasn’t been easy for you either.”
Qin Niu had collected six taels of Silver Money, and had cut off the tail end.
He gave Xu Zhenchang a bit of a discount as well.
In a total of seven days, he had earned six taels of Silver Money, which was the benefit the termites had created for him with their increased strength.
Their usefulness was far greater than just that.
This time, by taking the opportunity of pest control, not only had they received very good practical training, but they had also truly solved a difficulty for the villagers.
The largest grower in the village was Xu Zhenchang.
By cleaning up the pests in Xu Zhenchang’s fields, it was as if they had eliminated the Locust Army within the village on a large scale. The other fields benefited as well.
Otherwise, the locusts in those more than eighty acres would breed like crazy and migrate everywhere, which the villagers were incapable of dealing with.
“Thankyou, Master Qin!”
Xu Zhenchang, who must have been a bit strapped for cash recently, did not refuse and took the twenty Wen Money.
During hard times, even a single Wen Money can be difficult for a hero to come by.
Most of his fields in other villages were likely not saved, which was a considerable loss. On top of that, a large amount of extra expenses for pest control and the resulting reduced harvest meant he had to tighten his belt for the year.
“Right, there are two more things I’d like to discuss with you. The three neighboring villages all want to borrow our ducks, but I didn’t dare agree and told them to discuss it with you and Brother Wang. Additionally, the Yan Family has also requested your help with pest control. These past few days, seeing that our village’s pest troubles haven’t settled, the Yan Family didn’t send anyone over. If you agree, I’ll reply to the Yan Family and they will send someone to negotiate with you.”
Xu Zhenchang had a rather close relationship with the Yan Family.
Qin Niu’s pest control efforts for Xu Zhenchang had been effective.
Xu Zhenchang, in order to please the Yan Family, would definitely reveal this to them.
But the Yan Family had some decorum in their actions.
Clearly as anxious as ants on a hot pan, they did not come over to grab the benefits of the ordinary villagers of Shuangfeng Village.
The decisionmakers of the Yan Family possessed great wisdom.
Perhaps in the eyes of the Yan Family, Qin Niu could at most treat ten or so acres a day, and even if they snatched him away, it wouldn’t solve much of the problem. Becoming enemies with the entire village over such small benefits wasn’t worth it.
Besides, Qin Niu might not agree.
Every villager from any village has a sense of village protectionism.
Any good opportunity usually prioritizes the local village first.
“Master Qin, is it convenient to see you now?”
The voice of Wang Furen came from outside.
“Uncle Wang, please come in!”
Qin Niu found Wang Furen and Xu Zhenchang quite interesting, as they often acted in concert with a certain tacit understanding, moving together.
“Oh, the village chief is here too!”
Wang Furen’s words were somewhat insincere, as he must have known Xu Zhenchang was there.
Everyone typically said these pleasantries.
“These last few days, I asked Master Qin to help me with pest control, and now everything’s been taken care of. I’ve brought his wages to him.”
Xu Zhenchang said with a smile.
“Speaking of this, I just want to slap myself on the cheeks. You younger folks really have agile minds. I live right next to Master Qin, how did I not think of this method? Village chief, I’m always half a step behind you in everything. You must give me more pointers in the future.”
Wang Furen expressed his frustration.
“Haha, Brother Wang, you’re too modest! I should be learning from you.”
Xu Zhenchang would not dare to accept such high praise.
“Master Qin, now that you’ve finished helping the village chief with the pests, could you please help me? The reward will follow the rate you set. Seeing those incessant locusts in my fields, I’m just so anxious! I dream about catching pests at night.”
Wang Furen’s fields were not extensive, covering just over ten acres.
However, they were good lands, and during normal years with sufficient rainfall, the yield was extremely high.
“Uncle Wang, didn’t you buy a bunch of ducks to release into your fields for pest control? Was the effect not good?”
Qin Niu asked curiously.
“All, let’s not talk about it. Those ducks indeed help get rid of some pests, but locusts perching on high stalks that can fly are out of the ducks’ reach! Only those locusts that fall to the ground can be preyed upon by them. It’s better than nothing, I suppose!”
Wang Furen sighed.
The ducks couldn’t deal with locusts on the stalks, so they could only watch helplessly as the locusts nibbled on the leaves of crops like corn and wheat.
“I see! We’re all friendly neighbors, Uncle Wang, if you have this need, I should certainly lend a hand. Clear the ducks away, I’ll take care of the pests for you tonight. Just show me the areas that need pest control, and that will do.”
Qin Niu readily took on the job.
There was money to be made, so of course, he would take it!
“I’ll have Wan Yan take you there! I’m getting on in years, not as spry as I used to be, really old!”
Wang Furen once would not let his daughter meet Qin Niu.
Now, on the contrary, he was actively pushing his daughter towards Qin Niu.
A businessman is a businessman.
Pursuit of profit is always their nature.
Qin Niu certainly had no objections and happily agreed.
Wang Wanyan accompanied him around the fields for a tour, and with a beautiful companion, there was a different kind of scenery.
It was clear to see, she seemed very happy walking in the fields with Qin Niu, occasionally laughing like silver bells, both engaged in delightful conversation.